Piston-ring holder



April 7, 1925.

F. REICH PISTON RING HOLDER Filed Dec. 8, 1920 INVENTOR BY ATT had for further description thereof.

Patented Apr. 7,

FREDERICK BEIGE, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

PISTON-RING HOLDER.

I Application filed December 8, 1920. Serial No. 429,242.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known tha l, FREDERICK RnioH, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident ternal combustion engines, and among these objects are the provision ofsimple and effectlve means for placing and 'holdingthe piston rings before and when the piston. is

.reinserted in the cylinder.

The difficulties of the operations of placing the rings and replacing pistons with their rings are Well understood by those familiar with the operation, and many devices for overcoming these difficulties have been contrived. The replacing operation, its difficulties, and'an effective device for meeting the requirements are described in my copending application'filed May 6', 19-20, Strial No. 879,249, to which reference may be The present improvements are designed to provide an extremely strong and simple piston ring holder, which will hold and protect the rings automatically, and without fastenings or other appliances, when once in position, and which may be employed on pistons of various sizes for this purpose and the purpose of placing the rings, thus eliminating the necessity for a difierent holder for each piston and the incident expense. They also involve a new method or process of placing the rings and replacing the pistons and their rings in the engine cylinder, wherein the rings are first mounted on andflthen surrounded by a cylinder of lesser internal diameter than the normal external diameter of the rings and tending constantly to. hold the said rings and itself in place.

Various advantages result from this construction and method, but as most of them will be apparent to those skilled in the art, they need not be explained further.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a piston ring holder embodying them, and Figure 2 is a horizohtal cross section on the line 2*2 of Fig. 1.

The holder A is a cylinder of spring sheet metal cut longitudinally, as shown at B, but

normally closed and held closed, and in its position of smallest diameter, by its own elasticity. It is made so that its normal in ternal diameter is about the same as the external diameter of the smallest piston on which it is to be used, so that when expanded and passed over the piston rings it will compress them and hold them securely in position in their grooves and thus also hold itself in position around them.

A band C of spring metal is applied to the cylinderor sleeve A by first being expanded and then slipped over the end with the beveled edge A. The opposite edge A of the cylinder is flared. The provision of the beveled edge A. and the flared edge A assists in the operation of passing the ring or band C over the cylinder and permits the user to compress the cylinder, by forcing the ring on the flared portion. Theseedges also permitthe sleeve or cylinder A to be slipped over the piston easilyand enable the user to lit the sleeve snugly into the mouth of the cylinder, the beveled edge A being approximately parallel with the surface at that point.

The ring 0 not only exerts compression on the cylinder A'and adds its pressure to that of the cylinder, where the cylinder is made of elastic material, but enables the maker to make the cylinder A of Iron-resilient, and therefore less expensive, sheet metal, since in ordinary cases'the band itself will give sufiicient pressure to hold the sleeve or cylinder in place and compress the piston rings. By the use of this sleeve and ring the device may be applied to pistons of sizes varying considerably in diameter, so that it is not necessary to have one for each diameter or cylinder in ordinary use.

The device is also useful in applying the piston rings to the piston. In this operation the piston ring is'placed over the sleeve A, the sleeve being compressed if necessary to receive the ring, and the ring then expanded in any suitable manner to expand the ring and make the diameter of the sleeve sufficient to pass over the cylinder, if necessary, and the sleeve then slipped over the piston until its beveled edge is at the edge of the groove in which the ring is to be placed, when the ring may be forced ofl the sleeve and allowed to spring into the groove. The last operation may be performed by means of the band C, and the sleeve may be expanded by means of another band similar to the band C which is forced inside the sleeve at the flared end A In this manner any desired number of rings may be placed in position, the rings being first placed on" the end" of the sleeve next to the inwardly inclined edge and the sleeve passed over the piston until the said edge is at the last groove from the head which is to be provided with ring, and the rings then forced off in turn, as the sleeve is brought opposite their" respective grooves.

From the foregoing it Will be seen that the tool which is the subject of the present improvements' is one of great simplicity and strength and durability, and at the same time one of great usefulness.

What I claim is:- V

1. A device of the character d'es'c'ribed', comprising an open-ended cylinder formed of a piece of spring" sheet metal so shaped and proportioned as to embrace a plurality of piston rings on a piston, the' longitudinal edges of the metal being disconnected so as to er'mit contraction and expansion of the cylinder, and the metal being tempered and set so-that the said longitudinal edges are normally in proximity to each other and the cylinder is substantially closed, and the cylinder tends constantly to return tothat form when expanded or contracted.- I

2. A device of the character described, comprising an open-ended cylinder formed or a piece of spring sheetmfeta'l', the longitudinal edges or" the metal being disc'o'n- I'i'ected so as to" permit contraction and expansion of the cylinder, and the metal being tempered and set so that the said longitudinal edges are normally in proximity to ac'li other an'd the cylinder is substantially closed, and the cylinder tends constantly to return to that fornrwhen expanded or contracted", the edges of theinetal at one or the cylinder being beveled.

3. A device of the character described, comprising an open-ended cylinder formed or a piece or spring sheet metal so shaped and proportioned as to embrace a pit V lity of piston rings on a piston, the lo'ngitudnial edges or" the metal being disconnected so as to permit contraction and expansion of the cylinder, and the metal being tempered and set so that the said longitudinal edges are normally in proximity to each other and the cylinder is substantially closed, and the cylinder tends constantly to return to that form When expanded or contracted, the edges or the metal at one end being flared out- Wa'rdly; V

4. A device of the character described, comprising an open-ended cylinder formed of a piece of spring sheet metal so shaped and proportioned as to embrace a plurality oi piston rings on a piston, the longitiidinal edges of the metal being disconnected so as to permlt contraction and expansion or the cylinder, and the metal being tempered and set Sc that the said longitudinal edges are normally in proximity to each other and the cylinder is substantially closed, and the cylinder tends constantly to return to that form When expanded or contracted, the edges of t-iie'nietal at one end being beveled inwardly and the edges or the metal at the opposite end being turned (nitWardly.

' In a device or the character described the combination or an open-ended cylinder formed or a piece of spring sheet metal having its longitudinal edges disconnected but in proximity to each other, and a band or collar or spring sheet inet'all having an in ternal diameter less than the external anieter oi the cgdihdeiand longitudinally and laterally movable thereon.

6'. In a device otthe character described the combination of an open-ended cyliiider formed or a' piece or spring sheet' metal new ing its longituc'linal eclges disconnected but in proxiniity to each otlier, an-d band or collar oi snoring sheet metal having an inter'nal' diameter less than the xternal diameter or the cylinder and or inferior length, and longitudinally and}. laterally movable thereon, 1

'l'. A device for placing iston rings on pistons of internal cbmbn'st'i'on engines; comprising a cyhn-der o'f sheet metal having a longitudinal opening ther'ethrough, and a ring cispri'n metal the interact diameter or which is normally less than the external diameter of the cylinder adapted to" he placed around the" cy'findrin expanded position, and being movable longitudinally of the cylinder. H w

8. In adevice oi; the character described, the combination of an open ended" cylinder of spring metal set at apredetermined diameter provided with opening extending from end to end, whereby the cylinder is permitted to expand and contract, and a member adapted to be placed on said cylinder and to hold the same under compression.

9. The method or process on applying piston rings to" pistons of internal cemetetion engines, which consists in first placing the rings on an open ended cylinderhavin'g a greater external diaineter than the internal diamet r of the ri gs, then passing the" cylinder over the piston until one end or the cylinder is in roximity to a groove of the piston, and then forcing the piston ring 01f the end of the cylinder.

10. The method or r c'es's of applying piston rings to pistons and inserting the said pistons in the cylinders of internal combustio'n engines, which consists in first placing the rings on an open ended cylinder having a greateife'xteriial diameter than the internal diameter of the rings, then passin the cylinder over the piston until one e11 of the cylinder is in proximity to a groove of the piston, and then forcing the piston ring oil the end of the cylinder, then pass ing the cylinder over the piston and rings and then passing the piston into the cylinder of the engine.

11. The method of introducing a piston with rings in the grooves thereof into a cylinder, Which consists in applying a resilient split sleeve to said piston to simultaneously and yieldingly hold all of said rings in said grooves, and then forcing the piston into the cylinder from said split sleeves, the split sleeve yieldingly holding each of said piston rings in its groove until it passes from the split sleeve into the cylinder.

12. A device of the character described comprising an open ended cylinder formed of a piece of spring sheet metal set at a predetermined diameter and adapted to be expanded and passed over a piston, with piston rings in the grooves thereof, the length of the said cylinder being greater than the distance between a plurality of said rings when in position on a cylinder and its internal diameter being normally inferior to the external diameter of the rings, the diameter and form of the cylinder and the compressive strength of the resilient metal thereof when it is expanded being sufficient alone to hold the said rings in position in their grooves, but permitting the said cylinder to slide thereon and release the rings When the piston is passed into the cylinder of an engine.

Witness my hand this 2nd day of September, 1920, at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York.

FREDERICK REICH. 

